Vineland man arrested on drug charges in Franklin Township

FRANKLIN TWP. — A Vineland man was arrested on drug charges after he tried to flee on foot from a vehicle stop May 8.

Luis Alvarado-Torres, 32, was a passenger in a 2006 Nissan Altima driven by Nelson Soto of Millville, police said.

Soto reportedly approached the scene of an accident at Delsea Drive and Pennsylvania Avenue at about 6 p.m. and asked Ptl. Alex Fragoso, who was blocking the highway, about continuing through, police said.

Soto then allegedly made a U-turn in the middle of Delsea Drive and spun his tires in front of the officers there, said police.

Fragoso then followed Soto and stopped him on Marshall Mill Road in Malaga, police said.

Alvarado-Torres got out of the car and ran off into a nearby wooded area, said police.

Officers chased him and placed him under arrest.

Getting permission from Soto to search his car, officers allegedly found nearly three pounds of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, and Alvarado-Torres said it belonged to him, police said.

Soto was served with a summons for careless driving and released.

Alvarado-Torres was charged with possession of more than 50 grams of marijuana, possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, possession of marijuana within 1,000 feet of a school zone, resisting arrest by flight, aggravated assault on a police officer ad obstruction and was lodged in the Salem County Jail in default of $50,000 full cash bail.